Immunisation Community of Practice

Australia has observed concerning downward trends in childhood immunisation coverage rates over the past two years, particularly for First Nations children.

The Department of Health and Aged Care is planning a promotion activity from April 2023 in response to the decline in childhood immunisation coverage rates. The objective of this campaign is to reinforce the importance of childhood immunisation and prompt parents to ensure timely completion of the vaccination schedule.

The Chief Medical Officer has written a letter to immunisation providers to highlight this campaign as well as provide information to support providers identify children overdue for vaccination, raise awareness about immunisation and counter misinformation.

There has been exceptionally high demand for the influenza vaccine across Australia in recent years with over 3 million doses of National Immunisation Program (NIP) influenza vaccine distributed during 2020 in NSW alone. NSW Health has developed this toolkit to assist providers with managing roll-out and implementation of their influenza vaccination program in 2023. Everyone 6 months and older is recommended to get an influenza vaccine each year. The vaccine is funded under the National Immunisation Program (NIP) for people most at-risk of severe disease.

Influenza vaccines will be available on the private market and must be ordered through your wholesaler. General Practitioners (GP's) will be able to order NIP influenza vaccine for all NIP eligible cohorts. Pharmacist immunisers will be able to order NIP influenza vaccines for NIP eligible cohorts 5 years and older.

Flu Vaccine Reminders:

• 2023 Influenza Vaccination Provider Toolkit - available now, review ASAP
• Confirm pre-allocation flu vaccine order – Review and confirm vaccine pre-order on the NSW Vaccine Centre portal – from 6 March 2023
• Acknowledge delivery of flu vaccine pre-allocation order on the NSW Vaccine Centre portal – approx. mid April
• Administer flu vaccines from April onwards to provide protection for the peak of the influenza season, which is generally June to September

Resources:

• Australian Immunisation Handbook
• NIP fact sheet – 2023 Influenza vaccination – Program advice for vaccination providers
• ATAGI statement – ATAGI advice on seasonal influenza vaccines in 2023
• NCIRS - Immunisation information and resources
• NSW Health website: 2023 seasonal influenza vaccination website
• NSW Health - information sheet: Seasonal Influenza Vaccination 2023 GPs & AMS

For providers

► NEW: ATAGI advice on seasonal influenza vaccines in 2023 – Fact sheet (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) Access here

► NEW: Program advice for vaccination providers – Fact sheet (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) Access here

For consumers

► NEW: Fighting flu starts with you – Fact sheet (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) Access here

► Sharing Knowledge about Immunisation (SKAI) Influenza Vaccination Information to help consumers make a decision about childhood influenza immunisation for their family, with fact sheets including "Why does my child need a flu shot?" Access SKAI here

► Protecting your baby against influenza starts when you’re pregnant – Fact sheet (Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care) Access here

► MumBubVax: Talking about immunisation for mothers and babies “Answering your questions and giving you evidence-based information to make decisions about vaccination in pregnancy and for your baby after delivery” Access here

Ordering 2023 influenza vaccines

• Your first order will be pre-allocated based on your previous year’s vaccine usage, including reported expired and discarded vaccines.

• From Tuesday 28 February 2023, you will receive email instructions from the NSW Vaccine Centre regarding your first order allocation, please check your junk folder.

• You will be able to review and confirm your pre-allocation on Monday 6 March 2023 as per the email instructions from NSW Vaccine Centre. Only confirmed orders will be delivered.

• Subsequent orders can be made online once you have received your initial order and have confirmed receipt of the order on the NSW Vaccine Centre online ordering system.

• There may be limits placed on subsequent orders to ensure equitable vaccine distribution to all providers in NSW.

• Only schedule influenza vaccination clinics once vaccine supplies are received.

Other resources will be published as follows:

• NSW Health 2023 seasonal influenza vaccination information for immunisation providers webpage is now live.
• The 2023 Influenza Vaccination Provider Toolkit will be published on the webpage in the coming days.
• The ATAGI advice on administering seasonal influenza vaccines in 2023 is expected to be published in early March.
• NCIRS are also updating the Influenza fact sheet and FAQs

Please contact MOH-Vaccreprots@health.nsw.gov.au if you have any questions regarding the influenza vaccination program.

NSW Flu Vaccination Update 2023 online webinar organised by the Royal Australian college of General Practitioners (RACGP) will be held on 28 February 2023 at 7.00 - 8.30pm.

Description: Participants will receive an update on the 2023 NSW Influenza Vaccination Program to help ensure they are well positioned to support their patients for the coming influenza season.

Webinar Registration

From 6 February 2023, the dose schedule for the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine will change to a single dose, and eligibility for the catch-up program will be extended to include people up to and including 25 years of age. Young people (except those who are immunocompromised) who receive a single dose before 26 years of age are considered fully vaccinated and will not need further doses.

State and Territory health departments will be communicating the changes to parents of adolescents eligible for the HPV vaccine at school in 2023.

Further information and relevant resources

Department of Health and Aged Care

• Changes to HPV vaccine dose schedule for your Australians
• HPV vaccine – Factsheet outlining changes under the National Immunisation Program in 2023
• Australian Immunisation Handbook: Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Vaccination providers and other interested stakeholders can subscribe to National Immunisation Program updates from the Department of Health and Aged Care.

To Order this resource

GSK has advised that some copies of the GSK Rotarix Dosing and Administration Wheel (Rotarix Wheel) contain errors. All providers are advised to stop using the Rotarix Wheel and discard any copies.

There is no issue with Rotarix vaccine itself, or the recommended schedule for administration as per the NIP or Handbook, just the Rotarix Wheel printed resource.

The below email has been sent to GPs from GSK

16^th January 2023

Rotarix Dosing and Administration Wheel – discrepancy in date estimate
Dear Healthcare Professional,

GSK is committed to providing resources to healthcare professionals (HCPs) to support the quality use of our medicines and vaccines. Rotarix (human rotavirus, live attenuated oral vaccine) is indicated for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis.

It has come to GSK’s attention that discrepancies have been noticed in some copies of the Rotarix Dosing and Administration Wheel (Rotarix Wheel). An image of the Rotarix Wheel is included below for reference. GSK recommends that HCPs immediately cease use of the Rotarix Wheel and discard any copies currently in their possession. In 2023, GSK intends to refresh the aids it provides to immunisers to assist with dosing and administration of Rotarix.

Please note: There is no impact to the quality of the Rotarix vaccine, this letter relates solely to the Rotarix Wheel, which is collateral distributed separately from the Rotarix vaccine.

As stated in the Rotarix Product Information, the vaccination course consists of two doses. The first dose should be given between 6 and 14 weeks of age. The interval between the two doses should not be less than 4 weeks. The vaccine course should be completed by the age of 24 weeks as safety has not been assessed in older children. This dosing schedule aligns with the current National Immunisation Program (NIP) schedule with the first dose being administered at 2 months of age and the second dose being administered at 4 months of age. Dosing schedule recommendations from both the Rotarix Product Information and NIP have been correctly printed on the Rotarix Wheel for the HCP’s reference.

For information on GSK products or to report an adverse event involving a GSK product, please contact GSK Medical Information on 1800 033 109.

Yours Sincerely,

Vincent So
Head of NIP Vaccines Business
GSK

The Australian Immunisation Handbook has recently updated a number of pages and the updates can be viewed on the Handbook website.

From 3 December 2022 the AIR042A report will be temporarily unavailable whilst enhancements are made to improve usability and to future proof the report so that it is aligned with evolving clinical advice regarding multiple boosters and new COVID-19 vaccines. Vaccination providers will still be able to access and view reports that they’ve requested prior to 3 December 2022.

It is anticipated the enhanced AIR042A report will be available for vaccination providers to use from March 2023.